First, I need to alert the reader that I personally know the
author behind the pseudonym, “Nik Ripken”. I’ve attended conferences he’s led on
the persecuted church. I’ve met his wife. I actually went to seminary with his
brother-in-law. I once even enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the rooftop terrace
of his home in east Africa. I first heard about Nik Ripken some ten years ago
at a training conference for strategy coordinators led by representatives of
the International Mission Board of the SBC. At an isolated conference center in
the Oxfordshire countryside west of London, I listened in amazement to accounts
of his research on the persecuted church. I was part of a select group of
mission strategists privileged to actually read his report—a document so explosive—so
sensitive in nature—that even now I dare not list its title in this review. And
I have long been frustrated that those amazing stories of faith persevering and
thriving in the teeth of brutal persecution could not be publically shared for
fear of adding to the suffering of God’s people. The Insanity of God has finally relieved some of that frustration.
Nik Ripken conducted the most important and comprehensive
research on the persecuted church ever attempted in 2,000 years of Christian
history. Decades from now, when it is finally safe to publish that research in
its entirety, future generation will place it alongside other mission classics
such as the Journal of William Carey
and Roland Allen’s Missionary Methods:
St. Paul’s or Ours? It will be required reading in seminaries. Missionary
candidates will comb its pages for wisdom as they develop strategies for
evangelizing the unreached. Until then, if you are not one of the few included
in that very limited “need to know” group, may I heartily recommend The Insanity of God.
In its pages the author shares some of the more poignant
stories of faith under persecution that were a part of his original research.
To do this he has had to change names and some other identifying details in
order to protect those involved from needless reprisals. In one particular case
I happened to know the story told in considerable detail, so I can personally
vouch for the fact that the thrust of what is told in The Insanity of God is absolutely accurate. And believe me, there
is no exaggeration in these pages. What made it into print is an understatement of what actually
happened. The full story is even more incredible than what you will read.
Even though I had studied the original research, I learned a
great deal reading The Insanity of God.
It was especially revealing about the background of Nik Ripken. This gave me a
fuller appreciation of his life and work. Nik is not a physically imposing guy.
He seems altogether ordinary when you meet him. But appearances can deceive. We’re
talking Mr. Rogers here: with the valor and audacity of a Navy SEAL.
Reading that original research was an emotionally and
spiritually shattering experience for me. Reading The Insanity of God will similarly affect you. It will inspire,
horrify, and convict you. You will be amazed by what God is doing in some of
the toughest mission fields on earth. You will be shaken by the relentlessness
of the enemy. You will be moved to tears—both of sorrow and of joy. It will strengthen
your faith. And it will shame you for the shallowness of your own discipleship
when confronted by the incredible sacrifices of believers in these places of
persecution. And just maybe—and I know this is the desire of the author—it will
persuade you that the life of a missionary, be it on the other side of the
street or on the other side of the world, is the life you need to be living. This
is a dangerous book to read. Approach with caution.
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